Dah-Mee in downtown Natick is a great place that offers a variety of Asian cuisine.  It’s  one of those places that my friends and can always agree on meeting at because there is always something on the menu that we’ll be in the mood for.
It’s also a fairly short drive to get take-out and on a recent visit, Ethan and I picked up some Pad Thai which is pretty decent although we used to be so spoiled when we lived in Waltham and in walking distance to Erawan of Siam’s which has the best Pad Thai around.

On this particular visit there was a mix up with another order and we got some free spring rolls:

Nice little score.  In general Dah-Mee is pretty consistent, I’ve been there when they’ve had some “off” nights but for the most part it’s a good place.

Last week a friend and I went to Oga’s in Natick.
I couldn’t get a good picture of the interior but it’s pretty sleek and modern inside with some tables having their own rooms.
We got a couple of things like edemame and seaweed salad.  Both were what we expected, although I didn’t take pictures, they were both typical serving portions.
We decided to split a sushi boat for 2, which was plenty of food:

The quality of sushi is very good, and reflects in it’s price: not outrageous, but not cheap but then we were asking ourselves- do you really want cheap sushi anyway?
The combination on the boat was an offering of  sushi, nigiri and sashimi which was was all excellent.  We enjoyed this a lot.
Oga’s isn’t a place I’d go to every day but it’s good for the occasional craving of good sushi and I’d like to go back and try some of the rolls on their makimono menu.
For more info check out their site: http://www.ogasnatick.com
 

I know it’s crazy but I’ve never been to Casey’s in Natick for a hot dog. Last week my om and I decided to head down and see what it’s like.
The place is tiny with maybe 10 stools and since it’s a very tight fit in there they have an order window on the right side of the building where you can take your dog to go.

It’s funny that even though it’s so small, there are three guys working behind the counter, all keeping busy.  One cooks, one handles the people at the counter and one works the take-out window.
My mom and I both got a dog with mustard, ketchup and onions (they put under the dog) and we thought it was interesting that they cut them in half for some reason.

They also serve a limited menu of hamburgers, ham sandwiches, and a couple of other things but most people seemed to get a hot dog.  It’s a really interesting little building and worth sitting at the counter if you can. Casey’s is at 36 South Ave., Natick.

Light and Leisure (the purple buildings!) had a going out of business sale last summer and we bought a ceiling fan thinking we better grab it while we were there since we don’t go to Milford that much (although we should because I love that town).
Almost a year later they’re still open as a clearance center.  I feel kind of like a sucker because I fell for the “Going out of business!!” shtick, but oh well.  I was kind of sad to see the store closing because I grew up down the street and it had been there for so long, so I guess it’s nice that it’s sticking around but I can’t help but wonder if the fan I bought last year is even cheaper now.

One  of the nice businesses that has moved from walking distance from our house in Framingham is the Farmer’s Exchange.  Luckily, it didn’t move too far and is about 3 miles away on Nickerson Road in Ashland.
I really like this place even though we don’t have much of a yard but they have all sorts of synthetic and organic products for yards and plants, lots of birdfeeders, pet food etc…  It’s nice just to walk around and see what they have. On our last visit we got some grass seed and fertilizer for our Azalea bushes.  The woman working there was very helpful and kept us from buying the wrong kind of seed (I thought we could mix in Black Beauty into the established yard but you can’t- well you can, but it’ll look terrible) .  If you ever have any questions about anything I’ve always found their staff to be very friendly and helpful.  Sad to have them leave Framingham but happy they’re still in business and nearby.

I don’t get to Sudbury that often but when I do, I always enjoy stopping at Sudbury Coffee Works.  They have a great variety of coffee beans that they roast there.  My favorite is called 1776.  My mom loves it too and I’ll get her a pound or so when I go there so she can brew it at home.

In addition to coffee, they sell baked goods, sandwiches, salads and soups.  This is such a great local business, here’s their site for more information: http://www.sudburycoffeeworks.com 

Last week Ethan and I were on our way to my mom’s and stopped at The Wine House in Holliston.
I still get a kick out of any sort of  business in Holliston. I know, it doesn’t really make sense.  Holliston is a nice town with people living there so what is so strange about that?   I think just from growing up in this town, it just seemed any sort of food-related business was a big deal.  I remember when Bertucci’s opened my friends and I said  “Wow, a real restaurant opened in OUR town?”  Before that it was really just Norman’s, Pete’s Lunch (kids weren’t really welcome), Superette Deli and 2 pizza places, and Pot Belly Deli (that I never went to) other than that you had to go to Milford (for us rubes on the south side of town) or Ashland (for all the cool kids living in the Queens).  So even now when something like a quaint little wine shops opens I think “Wow, a wine shop decided to open in Holliston?”
It’s kind of small inside but they have a good inventory of all sorts of wine and have an area with various cheese and crackers.  They make wine baskets too so it’s a nice place to stop and get a housewarming gift or some sort of treat for an occasion.
They also have a website you can check out for more info: http://thewinehouseinc.com/

As much as we (my mom and sisters) love a good Chinese buffet, we never really frequented Cherry Blossom in Ashland that much but always had a decent experience there.  My mom’s friend who doesn’t really like Chinese food loves this place.  I went here with my mom a while ago since it had probably been  few years since the last time we went.
They have a typical set up, nice and claen and most important of all (to mom anyway) is that they keep everything hot:

The buffet comes with yoru choice of soup, we both got Hot and Sour, I used to always get Egg Drop but in my old age I guess I’m becoming my mother who is a die-hard Hot and Sour fan:

Here’s a little sampling, mom loves their Shrimp Toast so I tried it and thought it was just okay, it was more greasy than anything but when mom tried it she agreed and said it used to be better.  Maybe they just had an off day with the Shrimp Toast.

Not bad, but I might not be surprised if it’s another year or two until I happen to go back.  They will get loyal business from my mom’s friend though 🙂

Now that Dairy Queen is open, I just wanted to share that last night for the first time, I got a French Silk Pie Blizzard and it was a cup of chocolaty awesomeness.  It was like chocolate mousse with chocolate chips and pie crust pieces.  I highly recommend it!

I’ve posted about their breakfast before but just recently got to lunch.
One of my favorite things about J&E’s are their pickles, which they bring to the tables with coleslaw to the table after you order.

My friend Rachel got a bowl of matzo ball soup and a generously sized potato knish:

I got what I usually end up getting, the “Jewish Pu-Pu Platter”, which is a meat knish, kishki and a potato latke.

So bad for you but so good!
You really can’t go wrong with anything you get here, I wish I could go here all the time but the occasional treat makes it that much more special.
You can check out their site at: http://www.jedeli.com

Yaay, ice cream!  I was driving through Ashland today and although the scenery looks pretty dismal, it was encouraging to see that Dairy Queen opens for the 2009 season tomorrow.
I know my friend Tom will be very excited, although the Pumkin Blizzards won’t be out until the fall (his obsession) there are plenty of items to keep him, and all of us, occupied until then 🙂

A very good friend of mine owns an organizing business and has a growing number of clients in the Metrowest area so I thought I’d post about it in case anyone could use her services from office or home.  Here is a little blurb from her site about her services:

“Francesca Verri started verri organized about 7 years ago.  She works with people in their homes and in their place of business helping them to clear clutter, find calm in chaos and build systems for more efficiency.  She has worked with moms, doctors, business owners, professors and even children.  She also speaks to groups of people about how to get and stay organized.  She lives life in a lighter way and believes everyone can do the same when they learn how to be verri organized.” 

I have witnessed her amazing capabilities first-hand and can honestly say she is a one-woman force of nature. Check out her website at www.verriorganized.com. 

The other night we went to go check out Lavender. They serve “Asian cuisine” and it’s located in the Shaw’s plaza in Sudbury.
Inside is clean and modern with a lavender glow that comes from under the bar area.
We started off with an order of Crab Rangoon and Beef Teriyaki.

The flash was a little too much for this picture but these were very good. Nice and creamy and almost over stuffed. They also offer a snow crab version of these for a little more money.

The Beef Teriyaki was very good. The meat was well marinated and moist, not the dry, leathery meat impaled on a stick that is the result of over cooking that happens at some places.
For an entree we we got Tangerine Chicken which was kind of like General Gau’s but with tangerine peel and not as spicy. We liked that there was no mystery segments or fried globs of fat with a little chicken attached to it. Every piece was pure meat.
We also got an order of steamed vegetables:

I would describe this but it’s very straightforward and comes with a nice soy/scallion sauce.
We liked Lavender a lot and Ethan really, really liked their Mai Tais. This is a welcome addition to metrowest “Asian” food options and we’ll definitely be back.

You can check out their website: lavenderasiancuisine.com

Iron Horse Farm, at 29 Coolidge St. in Sherborn is a nice little farm that sells a selection of crafts in their shop but I go every other week for the eggs.
There’s something nice about pulling into the driveway and seeing the chickens you get your eggs from just walking around freely.

Sometimes you will be greeted at the fridge by one of the cats:

Or like a couple of weeks ago I was greeted by a beautiful type of Italian sheep dog (I only had my cell phone camera, sorry for the bad photo)

Check out their website too: http://www.ironhorsefarm.org/

First, I have to apologize for not updating in a month.  It’s crazy how busy things were this past month but also, I’ve been busy with my other blogs and working two jobs etc.. time just slips away. I will definitely try to post here more often!
Anyway…

A few days before the new California Pizza Kitchen at the Natick MALL opened, we were invited to friends and family night for their trial run.  Their new decor is a little more sleek with some “up-lighting” on the back walls. Also, be warned the acoustics in this place are harsh, it was extremely loud in there.  Ethan and I were laughing that we kept saying “WHAT?” to each other throughout dinner.
The way it works is that we got to pick one cocktail, but could also get a glass of wine, one “starter” which would be an appetizer or salad and each get an entree or pizza.
We started off with a glass of cabernet and a pear cocktail that I think was a version of mojito.

This was okay, it wasn’t the most amazing drink but it was okay.  I think it was just lacking any real fruit flavor.  It almost seemed like they used unflavored rum but I’m sure they didn’t, I think maybe pear just isn’t a strong flavor for a drink.

Next we split a Ceasar salad which was really good.

The lettuce was  crisp and it wasn’t soaking in dressing like some places make their Caesar salads.  On top was a generous amount of shaved Parmesan cheese.

For entrees we both got pizza (because they were out of their salmon entree, otherwise one of us would have got that)
I got the Eggplant pizza:

From looking at this you’d never guess Eggplant was the featured vegetable on this pizza  but it is in there somehwere.  Along with the eggplant were mushrooms, red onions, “baby broccoli” (which seemed like broccoli rabe) corn,  goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes.  I got this on honey wheat dough.  It was pretty good although I felt like there were too many ingredients.  I think if they cut  out 2 or 3 ingredients, it would let the remaining vegetables shine.

Ethan got the Carne Asada:

I actually wasn’t interested in trying this but Ethan said it was just okay. The ingredients in this pizza were (as listed on their menu): grilled steak, fire-roasted mild chilies, onions, cilantro pesto, Monterey Jack, and Mozzarella cheeses. Topped with fresh tomato salsa and cilantro. Served with a side of tomatillo salsa.
Ethan likes spicy food and thought this was a little spicy, now I remember that’s why I wasn’t interested in trying this.

We also split a dessert and decided to try the Red Velvet cake:

We wanted to try this because we have heard of it but never had it.  I don’t know what it supposed to taste like but this was basically food colored cake with very sugar frosting.  It was okay as a cake but I don’t see this difference between regular birthday-type cake and Red Velvet.  Although I will keep in mind this is a chain restaurant that is getting it’s desserts shipped in probably from some factory and a bakery that makes it’s own would most likely taste like a completely different dessert.

So the California Pizza Kitchen is okay if you’re hungry and at the mall, it won’t blow you away but I’d probably go with one of their salads as an entree if I ever found myself there again.